Philadelphia has topped the list for the American Tort Reform Foundation's (ATRF) 2010/2011 "Judicial Hellholes" report due in part to the trial practices of its Complex Litigation Center (CLC).

The CLC, ATRF said, "handles mass tort litigation filed in state courts, such as thousands of pharmaceutical and asbestos cases." But ATRF said a new coordinating judge for the CLC has led to criticisms from attorneys that the CLC is encouraging "litigation tourism," consolidation of dissimilar claims and scheduling unfair to defendants.

ATRF said the new CLC leadership is "viewing the increase in lawsuits and out-of-town lawyers as a boost for the court's revenues and the local restaurants and hotels."

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